6 tips for sustainable organisation of your construction site.
Sol
A construction or renovation project requires excellent organization for things to run smoothly and efficiently; for all workers and suppliers involved in the building process, you must ensure you have a clear HSE plan and clear outlines for achieving material recycling and source separation requirements.
If not appropriately managed your project can waste time and personnel hours, and it will affect way more than you had anticipated. For instance, a project whose waste disposal service hasn't collected will significantly impact the flow of the project because waste materials left on-site constrict movement and efficiency. Extra permits might be necessary if waste sits on roadsides or in dumpsters for added amounts of time. All of this can be avoided! Here are six tips for organizing your construction site well for waste handling?
1. The client's HSE plan
In compliance with the U.S. Health and safety regulations, the client, has the overall responsibility for the construction project. A vital part of the client's responsibility is to develop a plan for safety, health, and working environment (HSE plan). This plan should, among other things, contain a project progress plan that clearly outlines when and how the work tasks must be performed.
Read more about HSE construction regulations here!
2. Make a good waste plan
It would be best to map the different types of waste you are pulling from your construction site. Here's how to draw up a site management waste plan or SMWP, including environmental remediation and the final waste report. It is essential to give realistic estimates for the quantities and types of waste you'll handle. If your initial assessment is under your final waste figures, it will affect the invoice total for the project and the organization of the site itself. Too much waste will result in overfilled containers, affecting on-site handling for the producer of the debris and the waste supplier.
Find out more information about site management waste plans here!
3. Source sort the construction waste correctly
According to the EPA, demolition represents more than 90 percent of total C&D debris generation while construction represents less than 10 percent of C&D waste in the United States. Just over 455 million tons of C&D debris were directed to next use. Just under 145 million tons were sent to landfills; this highlights the importance of sorting the construction waste correctly at the construction site to ensure that the maximum amount of waste ends up in recycling centers and for reuse.
“This highlights the importance of sorting the construction waste correctly at the construction site to ensure that the maximum amount of waste ends up in recycling centers and for reuse.”
This process can be helped by proper labeling, correct waste containers that are frequently emptied, and practical personnel training to handle waste materials so that it is source-separated correctly.
Several types of waste are generated at construction sites; many are well-suited for reuse and recycling, such as cardboard and plastic packaging. Any hazardous waste must be handled correctly in accordance with regulations and all construction waste must be correctly categorized regardless of how large or small the project is. It must always be mapped, managed, stored, and declared correctly as part of your project.
Tip: You pay for the weight of your waste, so be sure to store the cardboard waste dry.
For more information about job site source separation, see here!
4. Ensure good accessibility
Accessibility on construction sites is dependent on the project. Traffic, deliveries, building materials, and other obstacles like scaffolding, containers, excavators, and trucks can all affect accessibility. The organization of the construction site must therefore take into account accessibility factors.
5. Coordinate deliveries and collection of waste
Poor coordination on a construction site will lead to more problems down the line. Imagine deliveries arriving at the wrong times or demolishing areas of the site when waste solutions are already full and not yet collected? Examples like these will lead to delays and further costs to your client.
It is crucial to ensure that you or your project manager has contingency plans for unforeseen events such as late material deliveries or late collection of waste. Both must take the other into account in terms of timings to ensure a clear and smooth-running site.
6. Ensure good training of personnel
You've made your best efforts to organize your construction site, but your waste isn't being managed properly, increasing your expenses. Ensure that you have marked each waste container so that construction personnel is clear about which to use for each waste type. Also, it is essential to train staff on how to source separate the waste. For more information on source separation, have a look here!
An efficient construction project comprises so many aspects, from personnel, the materials that you buy, to the waste you clear. Yellowsack's fast, efficient service can help with all your needs for waste collection from your construction site. We can deliver new dumpster bags to you upon collection to ensure a smooth workflow. With two size options available, we also make source separation easy and cost-effective for smaller projects. Our dumpster bags will also fit around your site in convenient spots to avoid obstructions. Simply place it near enough to the front of your site that our crane truck can reach it, book in a collection through our website or app, and we'll take that waste away to keep your project as smooth and efficient as possible and we’ll ensure that most of it is recycled! Order a dumpster bag today and see what a difference Yellowsack can make to your workflow and overall project.
